Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| hardi | /aʁ.di/ |
| effronté | /e.fʁɔ̃.te/ |
The term is used to describe someone or something that is courageous or daring. Depending on the context, other terms may be more appropriate: audacieux or audacieuse is a formal way to signify confidence and courage, intrépide is a formal term emphasizing fearlessness and osé or osée is a formal term used for bold fashion choices or innovative artistic creations.
Which one should you use?
While hardi implies positive courage, effronté carries a negative connotation of being disrespectful, impudent or brazen.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word hardi changes according to gender and number: the feminine form is hardie, the masculine plural is hardis and the feminine plural is hardies. The word effronté also changes: the feminine form is effrontée, the masculine plural is effrontés and the feminine plural is effrontées.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of hardi is /aʁ.di/ and consists of two syllables.
Did you know?
- The word effronté literally describes someone who has 'no forehead' (front). This implies the person is so bold they have lost the shame that usually makes a person lower their gaze.
- In French, the 'h' in hardi is an 'aspirated h'. This means you cannot contract the word 'le' or 'la' before it, so you must say le hardi instead of l'hardi.
- The word hardi is a linguistic relative of the English word 'hardy'. Both trace back to a root meaning 'to harden' or 'to make strong'.
Examples in context
- Tu dois être hardi !You've got to be bold!This sentence shows how to encourage someone to be bold using hardi.Tatoeba #1395995 by sacredceltic, translation #1395976 by sacredceltic
- Ce fut une décision hardie.It was a bold decision.This sentence uses hardie to describe a bold decision.Tatoeba #1614316 by sacredceltic, translation #1612979 by Spamster
- Sois hardi !Be bold!This sentence is an imperative way to tell someone to be bold using hardi.Tatoeba #1395991 by sacredceltic, translation #1395974 by sacredceltic
- La décision audacieuse du président a été saluée par le publicThe president's bold decision was applauded by the public
- Son style vestimentaire est toujours osé et originalHis/her fashion style is always bold and original
- Malgré les difficultés, il a mené une carrière intrépideDespite the difficulties, he pursued a bold career
- Cette femme est vraiment courageuse, elle ose affronter ses peursThis woman is truly bold, she dares to confront her fears
- Son comportement téméraire lui a valu des ennuisHis/her reckless behavior got him/her into trouble
- Son discours était vraiment culotté, il a osé critiquer le gouvernementHis/her speech was really bold, he/she dared to criticize the government
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are discussing a new business idea.
- LucasC'est un projet très hardi, tu ne penses pas ?It's a very bold project, don't you think?
- ManonOui, mais c'est nécessaire pour réussir.Yes, but it's necessary to succeed.
- LucasJe ne sais pas si je suis assez hardi.I don't know if I am bold enough.
- ManonFais-moi confiance, Lucas, on peut le faire.Trust me, Lucas, we can do it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bold” translations and entries hardi, effronté, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries effronté, hardi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
